According to Nikkei, Sharp will re-enter the North American TV market following the confirmation of its parent company Foxconn’s plans to produce LCD panels in the United States. The company recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 10.5G fab in Wisconsin.
Sharp bowed out of the US in 2016, selling the rights to its Sharp and Aquos TV brands to China’s Hisense for a period of five years, scheduled to conclude in 2021. Now, the company plans to step back into the North American market, manufacturing high-end models, including “8K” and large-size TVs, while Hisense will continue to produce small and medium-sized sets.
Foxconn acquired Sharp shortly after the Hisense deal. In an attempt to expedite the dissolution the partnership, Foxconn launched a lawsuit against Hisense for infringing its patents. Foxconn later dropped the case and has been attempting to negotiate a way forward, with Hisense and Sharp operating simultaneously under the same brand image but targeting separate markets.
Analyst Comment
Since the dispute, Hisense has done a deal to license the Toshiba brand for TV and is likely to be less concerned with keeping the Sharp brand. (BR) (Hisense to Buy Toshiba TVs – Asus for PCs?)
